Ford expects weakest March U.S. market since '93

DETROIT, April 1 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday said it expected that overall U.S. auto sales in March fell to the lowest level that the industry has seen since 1993.

Ford's chief sales analyst, George Pipas, said in a conference call for reporters and analysts that Ford expected that industry-wide sales results would show an annualized and adjusted sales rate near 15 million units.

Pipas said the weaker industry-wide result with an annualized sales rate in "the low 15 million (unit) range" for the first quarter was in line with the automaker's outlook from late last year.